My friends were working nine-to-five, I was going to strip clubs with the opening band.

 

Of course that wasn’t always the plan. I was in grad school, intent on getting a “traditional adult job,” when my favorite mid-2000s pop punk band The Matches announced a reunion show on the other side of the country. It seemed crazy to go; I was the shy, quiet girl who spent prom alone at the snack table, not the impulsive girl who skips class to see a band across the country.

 

But instead of following society’s rules, I chose to follow the band, and from there my life spiraled further into insanity than I ever could have anticipated. Soon enough I was sleeping on sidewalks for Green Day, crashing in hotel rooms with complete strangers for Coheed and Cambria, and losing my virginity to an up-and-coming vocalist whose career got cut short due to sexual assault allegations. I fell in love, I fell apart, I caused a glitter explosion so huge it branded me with the nickname “Concert Fairy.” And somewhere along the way of my life on the road getting high off of live shows, I found myself.

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CONCERT FAIRY TALES is a memoir about long nights, bad choices, and loud music.